Rum Reef Support

Simple Product Backup

Get help with our Shopify App, Simple Product Backup, including installation, options, and FAQ's. Can't find the answer? Please Contact Rum Reef Support. 

Getting Started with Simple Product Backup

Once installed from the Shopify App Store, Simple Product Backup runs completely on its own. It will start backing up your products at 3AM EST automatically. The only settings you may want to adjust are your personal preferences.

Guide to using Simple Product Backup
Learn how to adjust your settings, create a manual backup, download your CSV file backups, and restore your Shopify products.

1

You Are Already Protected

The moment Simple Product Backup is installed, it starts working on its own. Every night at 3:00 AM EST it saves a complete backup of your entire product catalog.

You do not need to press anything or set anything up to keep it running. It works quietly in the background from day one.

2

Personalize Your Settings

The only parts of the app you may want to change are your personal preferences. Everything else is automatic. In Simple Product Backup, open the Settings page to update any of the following.

Store Name

Add an optional store name that appears in the app header. This is only a label and has no effect on your backups.

Notification Email

Set the email address where your backup files and important alerts are sent. Enter your email and click Save Settings.

Email Preferences

Choose when you receive your backup file by email. You can turn on email delivery for scheduled backups, manual backups, or both. Backup failure alerts are always sent.

3

Run a Manual Backup

On any paid plan you can create a fresh backup at any time. This is useful right before a bulk edit, a large import, or any major change to your products.

  1. In Simple Product Backup, open the Dashboard.
  2. Click Run Backup Now.
  3. The backup runs in the background and appears in your history when it is complete.
Manual backups are available on all paid plans and are limited to 5 between each scheduled backup at 3AM EST. The free plan uses scheduled nightly backups only.
4

Find and Download Your Backups

Every backup is stored for 7 days and is available to download at any time.

  1. In Simple Product Backup, open the History page.
  2. Find the backup you want by its date.
  3. Click Download to save the CSV file to your computer.
5

Restore Your Products

If your product data is ever changed or lost, you can restore it from a backup using Shopify's own product importer.

In Simple Product Backup, open the History page and download the backup CSV from the date you want to restore. From here you have 2 options.

OPTION 1: Restoring or Editing Only a Few Products

Open the CSV from Simple Product Backup, find the rows you need, and review or copy the data you need. You can use this to make new products that may have been accidentally deleted or to edit products that were changed in error. This is often a faster and safer option when only a small number of products are affected.

OPTION 2: Restoring or Editing Multiple Products by Importing Your Backup File

Please read this entire section before restoring your products.

  1. In your Shopify admin, go to Products, then Import.
  2. Make sure you select Upload a Shopify-formatted CSV file.
  3. Select the Simple Product Backup CSV file on your computer.
  4. If you are restoring products that were changed rather than deleted, choose the Overwrite option so the backed-up data replaces the current versions.
    NOTE: This will overwrite any existing products in your Shopify store that use the same Shopify Handle from the handle column in the CSV file.
  5. Once you Upload & Preview and the import process starts, it can take several minutes for the import to work. When the import is complete, Shopify will email you and let you know whether there were any issues.

TIP: Editing the File First

Simple Product Backup CSV files do not need to be edited before being imported back to your Shopify store. If you need to open or edit the CSV before importing, use Google Sheets. Microsoft Excel can alter values such as dates and numbers, which can impact the import. If you edit the file, save it back as a CSV before importing.

TIP: Images

The backup links to your images by their Shopify URL. If the images still exist in your store, they will restore automatically. If a product and its images were both deleted, the images cannot be restored from the file alone.

TIP: Inventory Quantities

Each backup includes the total inventory quantity for every variant. For a single-location store, these quantities restore during import. Stock split across multiple locations is managed separately.

TIP: Shopify Support

Shopify also provides support pages for importing products at Shopify Support | Importing Products With a CSV File.

6

That Is Everything

Set your email once, and Simple Product Backup takes care of the rest. Your products are saved every night and are ready to restore whenever you need them.

Simple Product Backup Help Center

[Click To Show All Topics]

Your Data Stays Yours+
What product data do you collect, and what happens to it?
Simple Product Backup only accesses your product data to create your backups, and your store's email address to set up backup notifications. That's it. We never analyze, share, lease, or sell your data, except with the service providers who help us operate the app (like hosting and email delivery), who are contractually barred from using it for anything else. Your data stays completely private and is used only to create the backups you can download and restore.
Where is my backup data stored, and is it secure?
Your backups are stored on Render, a trusted cloud platform that hosts and secures the app. Render's infrastructure is independently audited and certified to SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, two of the most recognized security standards, and is GDPR compliant.
How is my backup data protected when it's emailed to me?
If you choose to have your backup emailed to you, it's delivered through Resend, a trusted email delivery platform. Resend is SOC 2 Type II compliant and certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, and is GDPR compliant. Your data is encrypted both at rest and in transit.
Do you collect my customers' data or sales history?
No. Simple Product Backup does not access, collect, or store any customer information, orders, or sales history. The app works only with your product catalog. Your customer and sales data is never touched.
Do you collect any other data beyond what's described above?
No. Simple Product Backup collects exactly two things: your product catalog, to create your backups, and your store's email address, to set up notifications. That's the complete list. We do not collect any other data about you, your store, or your customers. We are not a data broker, and your data is never sold, rented, or used for advertising, ours or anyone else's.
Get to Know Us+
Who operates Simple Product Backup?
Simple Product Backup is built and operated by Rum Reef, a small team based in Florida, USA. Learn more about us →
How can I reach you with questions about my data?
Email us anytime at support@rumreef.co, or use our Contact Us form. A real person will respond, not a bot.
Backups +
What does Simple Product Backup actually back up?
Your backup CSV includes all product data: titles, descriptions, variants, pricing, SKUs, inventory settings, images, SEO fields, tags, product type, vendor, published status, and all custom metafields defined in your store.
How often are automatic backups run?
Your products are automatically backed up every day at 3:00 AM EST. Paid plans can also trigger a manual backup anytime from the Dashboard.
How do I run a manual backup?
From the app dashboard, click Run Backup Now to run a manual backup. The backup runs in the background and appears in your history when complete. Manual backups are available on all paid plans and will appear in your HISTORY. The free plan uses scheduled backups only.
Are there limits to how many manual backups I can run?
Yes. You can run up to 5 manual backups per day, and each one must be at least 5 minutes apart. The daily limit resets at 3:00 AM EST.
How long are my backups stored?
Backups are retained for 7 days and available for download from the History page. This is included with every plan. To keep backups longer, download the CSV and store it locally.
What file format are the backups?
Backups are exported as CSV files formatted to match Shopify's standard product import format. You can import them directly back into Shopify without any conversion.
Does it back up inventory quantities?
Yes. Each backup includes the total inventory quantity for every variant, saved in Shopify's standard "Variant Inventory Qty" column. For stores with a single location, these quantities are restored when you reimport the CSV. Per-location inventory (how much stock sits at each individual location) is not included, since Shopify's product CSV format tracks one combined quantity per variant.
How large are the backup files, and will large ones email?
File size depends on how many products you have and how much detail is in each one. A backup of 10 to 20 products might be under 10 KB, while a backup of 5,000 products could exceed 20 MB.

Our system can email attachments up to 40 MB, but many email providers are stricter. Gmail, for example, usually limits attachments to 25 MB and may route larger emails to your spam or junk folder. If you are not receiving your backups by email, check the following:
  • In Simple Product Backup, open your History and confirm your recent backups are under your email provider's attachment size limit. Many providers, including Gmail, cap this around 25 MB.
  • On the Settings page, make sure your notification email is correct and the email notification options are turned on.
  • Check your spam or junk folder. If our emails are there, mark them as Not Spam. Spam is often auto-deleted by your provider, which means you could lose that backup.
Plans & Billing +
What's included in the free plan?
The free plan includes scheduled automatic backups, 7-day retention, and CSV download for up to 10 products. To back up more products or receive email delivery, upgrade to a paid plan.
Does the free plan include email delivery?
Email delivery of backup files is available on paid plans. The free plan includes scheduled backups and access to your 7-day history for manual download.
What do paid plans add?
All paid plans add: a higher product limit, on-demand manual backups, and email delivery of backup files after every backup.
How do I upgrade or change my plan?
Go to the Plans page in the app and select your desired plan. Upgrades take effect immediately with a prorated charge for the rest of your billing period. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period, so you keep your current plan's features until then. Plan changes and billing are handled by Shopify, not by Rum Reef.
If I exceed my product plan limit, will it automatically upgrade to the next plan?
No. Only you can approve billing changes. Your backup History will identify when your plan limit has been exceeded.
What happens if I have more products than my plan allows?
Simple Product Backup will still back up your products, but only as many as your plan allows. For example, let's assume you have 100 products and are on the Basic plan with a limit of 100 products. You then add 10 new products to your Shopify store, giving you a total of 110 products. Our app will back up 100 random products and skip the other 10.
Do variants count toward my product total?
No. Each product counts as one, no matter how many variants it has. A product with 100 variants still counts as a single product.
Do draft and archived products count toward my product total?
Yes. Every product in your Shopify catalog counts, including active, draft, and archived. The only way to lower your total is to delete products. Only delete what you are certain you no longer need, and back everything up first.
What happens to my backups if I cancel Simple Product Backup?
We recommend downloading any backups you want to keep before uninstalling the app. Once uninstalled, stored backup files are no longer accessible through the app.
Restoring Products +
Can I restore my products from a backup?
Yes. Download the CSV from your History page and reimport it through Shopify admin under Products > Import. It depends on how many products you need to recover.

Option 1: recovering one or a few products Open the CSV in Google Sheets or Excel. Find the product row(s) you need and use that data to manually recreate the product in Shopify. This is often faster when only a small number are affected.
Excel may not open or format Shopify CSV files correctly and can alter values like dates, numbers, and special characters. Google Sheets is the safer choice for reviewing or editing your backup. If you do edit the file, make sure to export it back as a CSV (comma-separated values) before importing into Shopify.

Option 2: restoring a large number of products Upload the full CSV via Products > Import. If restoring products that were damaged rather than deleted, choose Overwrite to replace the damaged versions with the backed-up data.
Will a restore bring back everything exactly as it was?
For same-store restores, product data including all metafields is fully restored.

Images: The backup contains Shopify CDN URLs pointing to your images. If those images still exist in your store, Shopify will restore them during import. If a product and its images were both deleted, those URLs are no longer valid and the images cannot be restored.

Inventory quantities are included as a single total per variant and restore for single-location stores. Per-location stock levels are managed separately.
Metafields & Advanced Product Data +
Are custom metafields included in the backup?
Yes. All product metafields defined in your store are included as columns in the backup CSV.
Can I use a backup to import products into a different Shopify store?
Core product data (titles, descriptions, variants, pricing, images, SKUs, tags, SEO) should import successfully into any Shopify store.

Metafield data may not transfer fully to a different store. Known limitations include metaobject references and complex measurement types (dimension, weight, volume, rating).
Simple Product Backup is designed for same-store restores. Cross-store migration is not a supported use case.
This is a Shopify platform limitation, not something we control.
What are "linked options" and how are they handled?
Shopify allows variant options (like Size or Color) to be linked to metaobject definitions for richer filtering. The backup captures the resolved values from these linked options.

Standard variant options (Size, Color, Material, etc.) set up without any metaobject connection are not affected by this at all. They back up and restore normally in all cases.

When restoring to the same store, all data including linked options is fully preserved. When importing to a different store, linked option values import as standard plain options and the metaobject connection needs to be reconnected manually.
Troubleshooting +
My backup failed. What should I do?
Common causes:
  • Your plan limit has been reached. If your store has more products than your plan covers, the backup may be affected. Check your plan on the Plans page and upgrade if needed.
  • Permission error. Go to Settings and click Reconnect to Shopify to refresh your app permissions.
  • Temporary Shopify API issue. Try running a manual backup again after a few minutes.
If the problem persists, contact support with the error shown in your backup history.
Some products failed with "Invalid CSV value for dimension". What does that mean?
This error occurs when importing to a different store that has dimension, weight, volume, or other measurement metafields. This does not affect same-store restores. If migrating to a new store, these metafield values will need to be re-entered manually after import.
My images aren't showing after import.
The backup references images by their Shopify CDN URL. If the images still exist in your store, they will load correctly after import. If the original images were deleted along with the product, those URLs are no longer valid and the images cannot be restored from the backup file alone.